February 5, 2012

AARP Maine Responds to Governor’s State-of-the-State Address: Organization Disappointed by Lack of Acknowledgement of Issues Affecting Seniors

AARP Maine is responding tonight to Governor Paul LePage’s State-of-the-State address delivered this evening in Augusta.

“On behalf of our more than 230,000 members across Maine, AARP expects strong executive and legislative leadership across party lines as our elected officials address both the revenue and spending sides of the budget,” said Lori Parham, AARP Maine State Director. “While Governor LePage is correct that decisions made now will have an impact on Mainers and their families for years to come, AARP is both surprised and disappointed tonight that his discussion of fiscal security for families in our state did not include any acknowledgement of Mainers 50+. Maine is the oldest state in the nation and these issues need to be addressed.”

Of particular concern to AARP Maine is the fact that the Governor did not discuss MaineCare and overall access to health care for Maine families. AARP Maine supports expansion of the federally funded Medicaid program under the Affordable Care Act so that Mainers 50-64 who have lost employee coverage can have access to care.

“AARP is working to ensure that older Americans who have lost their jobs and are struggling to find new ones can obtain needed health care,” said Parham. “AARP is deeply committed to ensuring that people between the ages of 50-64 without healthcare have options for coverage. Expanding Medicaid will give people without insurance access to preventive care that can save lives, reduce the need for expensive emergency room care, and ease overall health care costs.”

The latest Governor to voice support for Medicaid expansion is Governor John Kasich, a Republican, from Ohio. AARP Maine urges Governor LePage to consider following suit.

“AARP Maine was surprised that there was no discussion of the needs of Maine’s oldest and most at-risk citizens, especially considering the current budget proposals that would cut low-cost programs that help seniors stay in their own homes,” said Parham. “Budget cuts to inexpensive programs such as Meals on Wheels and Drugs for the Elderly are short-sighted. These programs are the very reason some of our most vulnerable residents can stay in their own homes and their own communities, a far less costly solution than institutional care.”

AARP surveys indicate that nine out of ten Maine residents 50 and older want to stay in their own homes and local communities as long as possible. AARP Maine will advocate for improving the balance of funding for home and community-based services that delivers this result. AARP will also advocate for programs and initiatives that support family caregivers who are balancing work and family responsibilities. “These are the kinds of policies that will draw retirees to Maine and keep current residents here,” Parham said.

“The citizens of Maine expect Governor LePage and our legislative leaders to come together and work to devise solutions that make sense,” said Parham. “We urge lawmakers to reject any budget proposal that jeopardizes the well-being of our most vulnerable residents. AARP Maine stands ready to work with the Governor and the legislature on these critical issues.”

AARP is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization, with a membership of more than 37 million, that helps people 50+ have independence, choice and control in ways that are beneficial to them and society as a whole. AARP does not endorse candidates for public office or make contributions to either political campaigns or candidates. We produce AARP The Magazine, the definitive voice for Americans 50+ and the world’s largest-circulation magazine; AARP Bulletin, the go-to news source for the 50+ audience; www.aarp.org<http://www.aarp.org/>; AARP VIVA, a bilingual lifestyle multimedia platform addressing the interests and needs of Hispanic Americans; and national television and radio programming including My Generation and Inside E Street. The AARP Foundation is an affiliated charity that provides security, protection, and empowerment to older persons in need with support from thousands of volunteers, donors, and sponsors. AARP has staffed offices in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Learn more at www.aarp.org<http://www.aarp.org/>.

“Why can’t I just pay for my own long term care?”

I get that question frequently, and the answer is: you can.

Self-insuring, or simply deciding you’ve got enough money on hand to pay for your own long term care needs, is a perfectly acceptable strategy. But, this assumes that you know what you’re getting yourself into, and that you understand what self-insuring means. Let’s talk about a few things that you need to consider before you decide to self-insure.

Most of us know, within a few thousand dollars, how much it would cost us to replace our car, or even our house. That’s a predictable expense, something you can put a fairly accurate price tag on. How much will your long term care services cost you? You can’t say. It might be a few thousand dollars, but it could just as easily be half-a-million dollars. There’s just no way to predict it. That makes it hard to say “Okay, I’ve put aside X amount of dollars; this should cover my long term care needs.” That’s the first problem  – will the money you’ve identified as your long term care fund be enough? Most people drastically underestimate how expensive long term care can be.

The second problem is this – are you sure that money’s not going to be needed for anything else, before you need long term care? If you dip into this every time you go on a vacation, or every time you need to buy a new appliance, it’s not going to be there when you need long term care. Your long term care fund has to be used for nothing but long term care, so you need to put it aside and forget it. Again, not always as easy as it sounds.

Finally, what if you have enough money, but it’s not that easy to get to? I’ve had several clients who are very wealthy on paper, but all of their wealth is in real estate. If they needed cash, they’d be hard pressed to get it without either borrowing it or selling a piece of real estate. What if you happen to need it in the middle of a real estate market like the one we’re in now? Uh-oh. What if your money is kept in retirement accounts or investments? You’re going to be taxed on that when you take it out, right? Suddenly, if you’re drawing more than your normal income from these accounts, your taxes are going up. What if your money’s in the market, and the market is down when you need it? Using your own money is often more expensive than the actual care, because of the costs you incur in getting to it.

Self-insuring is a valid approach, but it’s not necessarily an easy or realistic one. Insurance provides you with leverage and access – you turn your relatively small premium into a much, much larger benefit that will be there when you need it. If you’re going to self-insure, make sure you know what you’re up against. Thanks!

And Happy New Year! Kerry Peabody, LTC insurance specialist, Clark Insurance

Is your town considering a property tax deferrment program for senior citizens? An Act to Protect Elderly Residents from Losing Their Homes Due to Taxes or Foreclosure became Maine law July 12.

The 124^th Legislature passed the bill in May,which allows Maine cities and towns to establish a property tax deferral program for senior citizens. Citizens applying for a property tax deferral must be at least 70 years old, lived in their homes for at least 10 years, and have a household income of less than 300% of the federal poverty level, which is about $30,000 for a single person and $42,000 for a couple.

The new law allows towns to let property taxes be deferred until the death of the homeowner or sale of the home.  Then the taxes would have to be repaid within a set period, along with interest at a rate of 0.5 percent above the annually established rate for delinquent taxes.

Now, Maine towns that want to establish a property tax deferral program for their citizens will have to craft a program that is appropriate for the needs of their town and put it forth in a town referendum. There are safeguards for the town, including what amounts to a tax lien placed on the property, to assure that the town has legal standing. Towns working on their programs will have to discover the answers to questions like, what happens if the house is in estate recovery to repay Maine Care? Which repayment takes precedent?

The bill, signed by Gov. John Baldacci on May 20, passed through the Legislature with 136 yeas, 0 nays, and 15 absent. Not much voting along party lines with this one!

If you cruise forums that talk about this law, there’s a lot of writing about how it shifts taxes to other taxpayers, or that the property tax rate is a bad way to fund government in general, or that taxes are simply too high, and lowering taxes for everyone is the answer. Those are all valid points. But in the discussion of this law, remember that it is a local opportunity and individual townspeople control whether or not they think it’s a good idea to allow a property tax deferral for the town elders if requested.

My thinking is that allowing people to stay in their homes is almost always better for society. See if your town has a committee to look into tax deferral for your town, and work through all the questions considering such a program will raise. It’s a great volunteer opportunity!